Bingo – Good for the Mind?
John C. Thorenssen
When we think of bingo, genius and brainpower don’t always spring
to mind; these attributes have tended to be reserved for poker
and other games of skill and luck. The image of a grandparent
sitting in a community hall with a cup of tea and a card of bingo
does not lend itself to the intrigue of psychology and mental
agility. However, according to a study by the University of
Southampton’s Psychology Department, bingo may not be the trivial
pastime many would take it for. Researchers there insist that
bingo keeps the mind sharp and equate this as especially
important to people as they get older.
The tests conducted revealed that bingo players were more
accurate and faster in tests that measured memory, mental speed
and their ability to absorb information from the environment
around them, than those who did not play the game.
What seems to be the key advantage to the sustained playing of
bingo is the concept of time. There is no doubt that games such
as chess, poker and backgammon all stretch the mind and keep the
brain functioning. Whereas the hand-eye coordination needed for
bingo may not be as exhaustive as for other games, the time
constraint in which players must check their numbers is key to
the sustenance of mental agility.
The tests comprised of 112 people within the age brackets of 18
to 40 and 60 to 82. Half of each set played bingo. The results
concluded that all bingo players were more accurate and quicker
than non-players. Interestingly, in certain tests, the older
players did better than the younger players. More and more
research is supporting the theory that a regular partaking of
activities that exercise the mind is very beneficial to the
maintenance of optimum mental functioning as we get older.
Younger bingo players tended to be faster, but the older ones
were more accurate. Many people have suggested that the reason
people dismiss bingo as a “junior” gaming pastime is because we
so often associate it with pensioners. The social stigma of bingo
has kept it out of the major casinos and therefore reduced its
respect amongst the “hipper” echelons of today’s society.
Many would be led to conclude that the above study is simply out
of proportion in the sense that a game of bingo is hardly a
satisfactory workout for the mind in terms of endurance and
mental skill. To an extent they would be right. But what the
tests seem to be suggesting crucially, is that it is the
prolonged or regular partaking in the game over a sustained
period of time that will lead to cognitive benefits.
Then of course there are those who believe that any form of
gambling being proclaimed to be beneficial to the mind is nothing
short of an aberration. Whilst certainly milder in terms of the
funds that change hands than other gambling games, bingo is still
a game where one pays money to gain money and as such has been
criticized from certain groups in society. However, the social
aspect of the game cannot be overlooked and it is this type of
play that would be encouraged to facilitate the mental benefits
as concluded by the study described above.
In the UK, there are around three million bingo players. It is
hoped that this study and the growing body of research around it
will help to promote the game to those who otherwise would have
written it off as something to be enjoyed with gardening, tea and
everything else we assume people over the age of 65 suddenly
develop a passion for.
John C. Thorenssen is professional gambler and work as consultant
in Royal Club Casino New York. He wrote articles about gambling
and gambling strategies. Most of the articles will be included in
his new book.
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